Letting the juices of life (or food) drip from my chin!

Well, my blog has been seriously neglected lately. I have quite a few recipes that I wanted to blog, but homeschooling has kept me quite busy. Here is a recent recipe though, that I really wanted to get on my page. As we move from Summer to Fall, I always enjoy getting soups into my menu planning more frequently.

Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder

adapted from Cook’s Country (June/July 2016 issue) | Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3 poblano peppers, stemmed, halved from stem to tip, seeds removed

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

6 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from cobs

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices bacon, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

7 cups chicken broth

1 lb Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch dice

1/4 cup half and half

2 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1″ pieces

1 Tbsp minced cilantro

1 Tbsp lime juice

additionally:

lime wedges

reserved bacon bits

sour cream for serving, optional

fried tortilla strips

crumbled queso fresco

Instructions:

Adjust the oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element in your oven. Line a cookie sheet with foil, rub poblano peppers with oil and place skin side up on your cookie sheet. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes until the skin of the peppers have blistered and browned, turning with tongs from time to time. Remove the peppers to a bowl immediately and cover with plastic wrap to steam the skins for easy removal.

Place the corn kernels on the same pan you used for the peppers and season with a teaspoon of salt and add 1 teaspoon of oil, stirring the corn. Broil them for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time and until the corn is browned and tender.

Remove the skins from the poblano peppers and chop the peppers.

In a large stock pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve for serving. Add onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bacon drippings. Cook the onion, stirring frequently until the onion is tender and browned. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Drain any excess bacon drippings.

Add chicken broth, potatoes, corn kernels, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the soup, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer just under a boil for 20 minutes. Test the potatoes to see if they are done – cook longer if necessary. Off heat, add half and half. Scoop out about 2 cups of soup to a large measuring cup along with the 2 corn tortillas that you have cut up; use your immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. (Use a blender if you do not have an immersion blender) Return the puree to the soup and add the chopped poblano peppers to the chowder. Bring to a slight boil. Add minced cilantro, lime juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt if necessary.

To make tortilla strips, cut some remaining corn tortillas into strips and cook them in a small frying pan in small batches and in hot oil, until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and season with salt immediately, draining on paper towels. Serve them with the chowder.

I found this lovely recipe for Sesame Egg Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce on the food blogger Carlsbad Cravings site. She has some delicious looking recipes. We especially liked the Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce that went with this. It is easy to make and tasty. The tricky part is wrapping them in the egg roll wrappers, and remember not to stack them, or they will stick together. Let’s not ask why I know this! hehe I think next time I will add garlic to the chicken mixture.

Make the sauce: Dissolve the cornstarch in the white vinegar and add the Hoisin sauce and sugar to the ingredients. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate until serving.

Trim the chicken of any fat, slice into thin strips and lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 minutes. Add stir fry mix vegetables, bean sprouts, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.

Add McCormick’s Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Sauce, Sriracha (or Sambal Oelek) and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken filling to a food processor. (You do not want the filling to be overly wet). Pulse the food processor about 10 times to chop the filling, scraping down the sides about half way through.

Fill each egg roll with about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling and fold the top corner over the egg roll over the filling rolling down about 1/4 turn. Wet the remaining three corners with a little water to help the egg roll seal. Fold the two side corners over the filling. Continue rolling the egg roll and seal to close the final corner. Do not stack the egg rolls as you make them as the warm filling will cause the egg rolls to stick to one another.

Heat about 1/2 of an inch of canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (about 350 F). Fry 4 egg rolls at a time (or as many as you can comfortably fit into the skillet) turning them over with tongs until all sides are golden brown. Place the cooked egg rolls on a wire rack to drain any excess oil and keep warm in an oven until all the remaining egg rolls are cooked.

You know when you take that first bite and there is an instant party in your mouth that has you in love instantly? Well, this recipe falls into that category. What is not to love? A kick of spice with warm flavor of cumin over seasoned rice with black beans and minced jalapeno and cheese with a lovely green chili sauce and a squeeze of lime! Hey, I left out the fact there is chicken in that — fall apart chicken because you make it in the crock pot! Yes, it is love all around!

I found this gem of a recipe at budget bytes it is friendly on the budget and yummy to the taste buds! Here is my slight adaptation. Originally called Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Verde Bowls… to me the salsa belonged with the verde… but either way it is a keeper! I used slightly more chicken and upped the spices as a result.

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls

adapted from budgetbytes.com | Serves 6-8 | Prep time 15 minutes. Cook time 4-8 hours (depending if on high or low)

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 3 lbs total)

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

pinch of black pepper

1 (17 oz) jar Goya Brand Salsa Verde

Instructions:

Slice the onion into rings and place in the bottom of the crock-pot (I like to use a liner in mine, because it makes clean up much easier, and the food does not stick to the sides)

Add chopped bell peppers and place the large chicken breast on top of the veggies. Season with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour the Goya Salsa Verde over the chicken. Cover the crock-pot with the lid and turn to high for 4 hours (8 on low).

My chicken was actually cooked through at 3 hours and I removed the chicken breasts and cut them into bite sized pieces and put them in a serving dish. I poured the sauce and peppers and onions over the diced chicken. Ready to serve!

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home Magazine (June 2010 issue). My husband and I have been on a chipotle pepper kick – especially if it also has adobo sauce. I think my husband must have told me these tacos were good about a dozen times tonight. Since we are trying to limit our calories in an effort to lose weight, this recipe was appealing since 2 tacos has 462 calories and did not feel like we were starving. You most certainly can cook the shrimp by grilling them on skewers – I opted for the cast iron skillet. Photo credit: Hubby – thank you!

Shrimp Tacos

adapted from Cuisine at Home Magazine (June 2010 issue) | Serves 4

For the Shrimp Tacos:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp chili powder

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

For the Chipotle Sauce:

1/2 cup crema, sour cream, or mayo (or combination of two)

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

1 1/2 tsp honey

1 tsp fresh lime juice

salt to taste

For the Red Cabbage Slaw:

4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 a small head)

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp white vinegar, or white wine vinegar

salt to taste

Instructions:

Marinate the shrimp in the refrigerator in a marinade made with lime juice, olive oil, and chili powder. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. In the meantime, make the chipotle sauce: Combine the mayonnaise (Mexican crema, or sour cream) with the minced chipotle peppers, honey, tsp lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the sauce until serving.

Combine the ingredients for the slaw in a medium bowl. Toss to coat the cabbage. Refrigerate until serving.

Skewer the shrimp on wooden skewers and either cook them on the grill or cook in a cast iron skillet for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Lightly sprinkle a few paper towels with water and place on a plate. Top with 8 tortillas and cover with another damp paper towel. Microwave the tortillas to soften them for 1 minute.

Assemble the tacos: Place a flour tortilla on your plate. Spoon 2 to 3 spoons of red cabbage slaw in the center of the tortilla. Top with 4 shrimp on each taco and spoon a few tablespoons of chipotle sauce over the top of the shrimp. Enjoy.

2 tacos with sauce and slaw 462 calories according to Cuisine at Home Magazine (June 2010 issue p 9)

I have recently made a few new recipes. Two of them by Bobby Flay – and both of them outstanding! This one is for Spaghetti and Sauce. We LOVED the meatballs! I will be making them again in the future – maybe even in bulk to freeze them for the future. I did not use veal as it is sometimes hard to find. I doubled the recipe because we had more than 4 people eating dinner… Now I wish I had made even more!

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, eggs, grated Parmesan, cooked garlic, dry bread crumbs, minced fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Use two large serving forks to break up the meat and mix all the ingredients until it is evenly seasoned. Do not overwork it as it will become tough. Form 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs with your hands.

Heat a non stick skillet with 1 cup of cooking oil over medium high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches, turning them over with tongs and continue cooking until golden brown. You do not need to cook them through entirely, as you simmer them in the sauce. Drain the meatballs on a wire rack for a few minutes while you finish cooking the remaining meatballs.

For the sauce:

In a large stock pot, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add processed tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil and add in the browned meatballs. Reduce the heat to just a simmer and cook the sauce and the meatballs for 45 minutes or longer.

Serve over cooked pasta and top off with basil and additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Here is another easy dessert recipe. It is Ina Garten’s Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake (Barefoot Contessa Food Network) I loved the ease of preparation. While she recommends a specific brand of chocolate chip cookie, I used a generic crunch chocolate chip cookie (it softens overnight). The dessert reminds me of Tiramisu. No baking involved! Icebox cakes are layers of cookies and whipped cream/cream cheese in a spring form cake form and refrigerated overnight. Next day simply cut around the cake and release the sides of the cake form. Slice and enjoy!

In the bottom of a 8 inch spring form cake pan, place a layer of chocolate chip cookies in the bottom of the cake pan. Break cookies into smaller pieces to fill in any gaps. Spread one fifth of the whip cream mixture over the top of the cookies all the way to the edge of the pan. Repeat with cookies alternating with whipped cream until you have 5 layers of cookies and a fifth layer of whipped cream at the top. Use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate shavings to top the whipped cream for garnish. Cover the spring form pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Carefully cut around the edge of the spring form cake pan loosening the whipping cream from the edge. Carefully open the form and remove the sides.

Winner winner chicken dinner…. Here is winning recipe I found through Pinterest. The original recipe is from Little Spice Jar and my husband announced I could make this recipe every week! I added extra parsley and fresh rosemary to the original.

Cut the chicken breast halves in half horizontally to make them thinner cutlet.

Season each chicken cutlet with salt and pepper on both sides.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Saute the chicken breast halves in a large stainless steel skillet over medium high heat in canola oil, for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the browned chicken to a Pyrex oven safe dish. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 cup of minced parsley and minced fresh rosemary. Cover with foil and place in the oven.

Saute the shallots in the same skillet you used to cook the chicken for a few minutes over medium high heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute. Add chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or whisk to loosen the browned bits from the pan. Bring the broth to a boil and cook reducing the liquid until about 1/3 of the sauce remains.

Turn off the heat and add butter to the sauce. Stir and allow the butter to melt completely. Add heavy cream and stir. Remove the chicken cutlets from the oven and pour the sauce over the chicken. Add sliced lemons if you desire. Place the glass dish back in the oven to cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.